NORMAN, Okla. — Oklahoma’s defense can point to its second-half response at Michigan as evidence of its ceiling.
Eli Bowen is more interested in the plays that kept the Sooners from reaching it.
Bowen said missed tackles remained a problem against the Wolverines after appearing in the season opener against UTEP. The issue, he said, was not merely technique. It was the failure to strain through the end of a play.
“Sometimes we get lax and expect our teammate to make the play,” Bowen said Tuesday. “Everybody has to hustle to the ball.”
Oklahoma limited Michigan to 75 yards on 25 second-half plays, giving its offense multiple opportunities to take control. But the defense did not create enough momentum-changing finishes, and Michigan scored the deciding touchdown after taking possession at the Oklahoma 6-yard line following a fourth-quarter interception.
Venables said complementary football was missing.
“When you’re not making layups in one phase of the game, it bleeds over and the pressure is felt by everybody else,” Venables said.
Bowen did not excuse the defense because of the field position or the offense’s struggles. He said there is frustration in every game when a defender recognizes a play he wants back.
The response, he said, is to review the tape the same way after a loss as after a win: correct leverage, identify missed opportunities and move forward.
Oklahoma has made tackling an intentional point of emphasis in individual periods this week. Bowen said the second-half improvement at Michigan came after the defense regrouped, corrected details and fought together.
That response came without linebacker Kip Lewis for much of the game. Bowen called Lewis’ injury a difficult situation but said the defense has multiple leaders and cannot allow one absence to change its standard.
Up front, Jayden Jackson reached a similar conclusion from his own film. He said doing too much can cause a player to lose his fundamentals, and he was frustrated by a Michigan play on which he entered the wrong gap.
The lesson for New Mexico is simple: do the small things, finish the tackle and move to the next snap.
“Everything we want is still in front of us,” Bowen said. “The season’s not over just because of that loss.”
Oklahoma proved in the second half that it can control a game defensively. Bowen’s challenge is to make that standard immediate — and complete.
